thearena | (no subject)

Who: Peggy Carter and OPEN
What: Arrival
When: early Tuesday morning
Where: Cornucopia and exploring Main Street
Warnings: none yet

Peggy had thought her life had prepared her for any number of odd situations, yet none of them could have prepared her for this. The only redemption to the costume they had forced her into was the boots and cape. The rest would have to go. Immediately if possible. She couldn't be expected to run in all this, stay well hidden or even defend herself. God only knew what the men were wearing. That she had been briefed at all seemed like something of a miracle, but they didn't tell her anything more useful than what she was going to be doing.

She stepped off the platform and into the arena with the sobriety of someone walking to the gallows, but even then she couldn't help gawking. She had seen wreckage. Seen smoldering remains and hollowed homes, bodies falling into mud and on fire and exploding into millions of pieces, yet she still couldn't pretend the sight before her was anything less than extraordinary.

And it was early.

People who managed to sleep would soon be waking and God knew what other kinds of dangers there might be lurking in the hidden shadows, but she was only as good as her knowledge of her surroundings, and there was nothing left for her if she just stood there. Staying alive would be nice, but if she had to chose between death through violence and starving she would pick a fatal wound every time.

So she needed to find food. Food and then shelter and if lucky a place to ditch this bloody awful dress.

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They would have moved around, of course, for the job, but Steve would have kept his home in Brooklyn. Then, after a little while, maybe they would have married, agreed on somewhere to build their home together, and then just lived through the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 10s hand-in-hand. They'd maybe have children now, grandchildren even. He would've met Dr. Banner, probably would be Tony's godfather...

That life he sees, that one he could have had, is just so clear to him now that he's here, now that she's back. It doesn't matter that they're in this warzone; he has that opportunity again.

He knows he should be figuring out a way for them to survive, but instead he buries his face in her hair and hooks an arm around her waist, just basking a bit.

"I know." Peggy doesn't even need him to say what he was thinking, she can feel it in the desperation and the way he holds her. All those opportunities lost to time and those they wouldn't be allowed to have here. She rests her cheek against his shoulder, nose brushing his jaw as she exhales and let's her hand drift over the wide-expanse of his shoulders.

She loved him utterly and entirely in that moment, loved him in ways she couldn't even begin to explain and ways she had more than enough words to share with him.

But they weren't safe where they were, there wasn't a place in this so-called arena where they could be, and they would need to leave before someone or something found them huddled there.

"We have to come back here," he says. "In about two hours, a couple of my friends and I are getting together to strategize." He doesn't move though, like if anything happened he could just guard her with his body. He knows that's false, he's just a normal person here, but he could hope. He just... doesn't want to move from this spot, not yet.

He might not have his strength, but he still dwarfs her in size. They already had the argument over her capabilities as an agent and a soldier, it was all a matter of emotion over logic, and Peggy wasn't feeling terribly logical about how safe she felt where she was.

"I don't suppose you have food."

"I," he starts, about to say that he doesn't, because he didn't last time. But he grabbed some tins at the cornucopia, so he passes one off to Peggy. "Got a few weeks up here, hopefully, and all I have is six of those and no water. We'll have to hunt later."

"Lovely. We're in a theme park."

And if they're made to suffer with hot dogs and cola she might scream. That wasn't nutrition. They could as easily rot their guts and teeth with that type of food as live.

"You wouldn't happen to know if they would simply leave food lying around. I would even risk it being a trap if it meant not needing a weapon to get it."

"I don't know," he replies, a little amusement in his voice. "Last time it was a big glacier." He smiles, but there's something wry about it in a slightly uncomfortable way.

"Almost froze to death before we starved." Good thing... some of us can't freeze to death.

And for a moment, Peggy was absolutely with out words. Anger and worry spitefully twirling about in her chest and making her go momentarily blind from the very shock of it.

"What?"

Edited 2013-04-10 03:06 (UTC)

"I have to say, this place is way better," he responds. "At least there are things to hunt, besides each other."

"Steve!" She hadn't been aware her voice could go shrill, but there it was.

"Three of us died within a close span of each other, last time. The last thing I tried to do was keep my friend from dying of hypothermia and frostbite." He frowns, and cups her cheek. "I promise, I won't let you die."

Don't make a promise you can't keep. Peggy leaned into his touch, letting her eyes close for a moment and trying not to recall the utter certainty in Steve's voice when he said he had to crash his plane and the notion of the frigid cold one didn't just forget swallowing him up.

She curled her hand around his wrist and kept him still. "Only promise that if I can say the same for you."

That's decidedly not how this game works, and Steve can't even bring himself to answer her. Instead, he just takes her face in his hands, and kisses her brow. They'll make it through, together.

"I thought as much," she whispers, leaning toward him and closing her eyes. She isn't fooled Steve. She knows you too well to know that you don't want to accept that. That doesn't mean she wouldn't throw herself into direct danger if it meant he got to live a little while longer.

He knows, but it doesn't mean he's happy about it. He cradles her in his arms instead, holding onto her and refusing to let go.

"I don't want to lose you," he says, and it's quiet.